Mobile security vendor Lookout announced an update to its Mobile Security software product for Android earlier this month.

Some of the key features include a redesigned and easier to use dashboard, a locating function when a missing device has a dying battery, protection against click-to-call threats and an "emerging new mobile threats" category.

Lookout has been developing its mobile security app for Android smartphones since 2009, protecting devices from threats like malware and spyware, and backing up personal data along with the ability to find a lost or stolen phone.

V3 took a hands-on look at the updated application to see how well its new features hold up.

The first thing that struck us about the updated Lookout Mobile Security application in our hands-on was how easy it is to use.

Downloading, installing and running the app on the Samsung Galaxy S3 was effortless, and it proved very simple to use and navigate, with no lag or complicated menus. Menus are evidently designed to make the app easy to use and are presented in such a way that you can clearly see what is going on in front of you.

Lookout says that the new design makes the app "more intuitive" and "simple to access the features" while being "lightweight and mobile-optimised" for speed. We couldn't agree more - it's easy to use and doesn't seem to have any effect on the overall operation of the phone. In our hands-on, we also found it had no significant effect on the Galaxy S3's battery life.

Once the app is installed, you'll notice that the top half of the screen is taken up by recent developments in an area called the Activity Feed. This is a new feature in the update and will prove useful because as you use the app, the area will be taken up by recent developments, such as when the last scan took place and if the scans were successful or not.

The bottom half of the app screen consists of five tabs, three of which are built into the free version including Security, Back-up and Missing Device, and two that are available only in the Premium version, Safe Browsing and Privacy Advisor.

The security tab scans all the apps on the Android device in real time. We had 200 apps and scanning them took around two minutes to complete without detecting any threats. However this time will vary depending on the number and types of apps installed on the device. Once the scan is complete, the recent activity box underneath the scan bar will remember each scan and when it was last performed.

Though our device was determined as clean by Lookout, penetration tests would have to be done in a more detailed full review to see how well the app discovers new threats.

We should mention, too, that another nice feature is that when starting up your phone or the app, Lookout will let you know whether your device is safe once it knows there is no malware detected by saying "everything is OK" in a small pop-up. Always a nice, reassuring message to see.

As in the last version of the software, Lookout's Mobile Security suite can back up all your data, including contacts, photos and call history. However, the two latter features are for Premium subscribers only. Nevertheless, the app will back up this data automatically on a daily basis unless you tell it not to in the options. This is very handy if your device is lost or stolen and you fear that your data is lost forever.

Another nifty new addition to the updated Lookout software for those who are prone to losing their phones is Signal Flare, a capability that automatically flags the last location of a phone before the battery dies.

This is a great feature if you happen to lose your phone after the battery has died and increases your chances of getting it back. However, if your battery happens to die a good few hours before you lose it, and you have travelled quite a distance with it before doing so, your phone is probably gone for good.

Signal Flare is part of the Missing Device tab, where you can test the "Scream" feature that can be enabled on Lookout's web client so that if your device is lost, you can make it sound an alarm. Two other features, including remote Lock and Wipe, are available only on the Premium version and, as their names suggest, allow the user to lock and wipe the phone from a remote location.

The final new feature in the updated Lookout software is Safe Dialer for protection against dialler-based attacks. This feature can be enabled in the app's settings and scans every phone number you click to call from your mobile browser, alerting you if dialling the number might connect you with a nasty criminal intending to wipe your phone without your permission.

Lookout Mobile Security is now available to download free of charge from the Google Play store for Android only. Users wanting to take advantage of the Premium version's extra features will have to fork out £19.99 a year, or £1.99 a month so they can use the additional Backup and Missing Device features as well as the Safe Browsing and Advisor tabs.

Safe Browsing simply scans every website you visit in real time to protect users against phishing attempts and online threats, which it will do automatically. It will flag you if it thinks a website you are visiting is unsafe.

Privacy Advisor makes a list of all the apps that can access your private information, such as those that use location services to see where you are, those that can access your contacts and those that can read your mobile number and SIM data. This is definitely a great feature for those who are paranoid or just want to know what apps are accessing from their personal device.

In our opinion, these additional features probably aren't worth the Premium upgrade. The key elements, such as the Security, Back-up and Missing Device functions come bundled in the free version, and from our experience with our brief hands-on, will likely be the parts of the app that you'll use the most. µ

Research in Motion (RIM) has almost finalised its BlackBerry 10 operating system, and V3 has got its hands on a preview of the operating system before its anticipated release early next year.

RIM tells us that the operating system "is built for people with a mind-set who want to be successful, be it a 12-year-old school girl or a mum". We're not sure whether RIM is deliberately shutting out the male buying audience, but with its quirky gestures and unfamiliar interface, we're still not overly convinced it's going to manage to lure customers of any sex, despite improving in areas where Android and iOS are still lacking.

We tested BlackBerry 10 on a BlackBerry Dev Alpha B handset, a test device that with its large touchscreen and lack of hardware keys is a likely representation of what we can expect from the first BlackBerry 10 handset.

Lockscreen
The BlackBerry 10 lock screen looks to attract iOS users with its functionality, showcasing information such as messages and emails, calls, calendar alerts and a camera shortcut button, which RIM claims will help BlackBerry 10 users manage their social lives at a glance.

We're not 100 percent convinced though, as while the iOS lock screen is uniformative, the one on BlackBerry 10 doesn't tell you who has been in contact, which means users will need to unlock the device to get all of the necessary information.

Unlocking the phone is much more fun, though. You unlock your phone by sliding your finger up the screen which slowly reveals your open applications, meaning you don't have to unlock the phone fully to catch a glance at the weather or Facebook updates. However, one issue we had was getting the phone to respond to our gesture, although this is something that users will probably learn how to do seamlessly after using it for a few days.

Homescreen
After a wave of lookalike Android phones and Apple's unchanged iOS interface, the BlackBerry 10 homescreen is a refreshing change and far departure from the present user interface on BlackBerry smartphones.

Once your device is unlocked, BlackBerry 10 greets you with between four and eight "Active Frames", a grid of realtime apps that are a welcome change. These frames are set by the user and RIM claims third-party apps are also supported. Of course, you can swipe to reveal a more traditional app menu, but this homescreen should forgo the need for firing up your most popular apps and multitasking.

What's more exciting than BlackBerry 10's quirky homescreen is the way it responds to touch. RIM has created something called BlackBerry Flow, which means users can switch through apps and screens with just one finger, forgoing the need for physical keys.

For example, swipe right across the homescreen and you're greeted with notifications, letting you know of any Twitter or Facebook notifications, emails and BlackBerry Messaging texts. Keep swiping further and you'll reach the Mailbox, home to all of your messages in one unified, clear and concise inbox. It's easy to manage messages, as you hold down on the screen and you will be greeted with a shortcut menu, enabling you to reply, flag or forward emails.

Although we found the gestures difficult to navigate at first we soon got the hang of it, and can see this feature appealing to those with a fairly hectic social life. While on iOS and Android you have to flick between apps to see all of your messages, the swipe gestures and unified inbox make it all seem so much more effortless on BlackBerry 10.

For more on RIM's forthcoming OS, see our BlackBerry 10 in pictures guide.

V3 got its hands on Motorola Solutions' ET1 enterprise-only tablet, checking out how the business-focused Android device compares to its more consumer-focused competitor, the Apple iPad.

Built by Motorola Solutions, the business wing of Motorola which is entirely separate from the mobile phone Mobility wing purchased by Google, the tablet is currently only available on a channel sales model. This means it can only be purchased directly from Motorola Solutions and will never be seen anywhere near a high street store.

Design and build
Speaking to V3, Motorola Solutions Product Manager Andy McBain, explained that the tablet was designed to be useful in a variety of industries including courier, healthcare and government services, retail and construction.

This means that Motorola Solutions really hasn't bothered trying to make the tablet look very pretty. As a consequence the tablet is incredibly bulky when compared to other consumer products, measuring in at 131x224x25mm and weighing 630g.

One positive about its bulky design is that the tablet is very tough and durable. During our hands-on tests we got to bang the ET1 against a table and give it a not too gentle series of "taps" and in both cases it was the table and our hand that came off the worse.

The ET1's great durability carried over to its 7in capacitive, 1024x600 Corning Gorilla Glass screen. Demoing the device we were allowed to rub the screen over a rough wooden table and floor and in both cases the tablet's display came out scratch and chip free - we didn't dare try the same tests on any of the other tablets we had in the office.

The screen as an actual display however was slightly less impressive. While crisp and legible, we did notice that the display's heavy Gorilla Glass coating did make it susceptible to glare issues, even when used in regular indoor lighting conditions.

We didn't get the chance to take the tablet outside to try it in outdoor lighting, but given the issues we saw during our hands on, we're nervous the tablet may be all but illegible in bright sunlit conditions, a problem for businesses like courier companies whose staff spend the majority of their time outside, looking to use the tablet.

Operating system
The tablet runs using the now ancient 2.3 Gingerbread version of Android, though McBain did promise us a Jelly Bean update will be rolled in early 2013.

Motorola Solutions has made a series of customisations to the ET1's user interface, making it look incredibly bare bones when compared to consumer tablets. This is largely due to the company's decision not to overload the UI with widgets or unwanted apps.

This means that the ET1's interface is one of the nicest representations of Gingerbread we have ever seen. A nice consequence of this is that the tablet is really quite fast, with the lack of unnecessary bloatware leaving the ET1's 1GHz dual-core processor free to deal with important tasks.

 

 

That said we're still not convinced Motorola's use of Android for a business machine was a smart one. Android has consistently been listed as the least secure mobile operating system, with numerous security vendors including Trend Micro, Kaspersky and F-Secure listing it as cyber criminals' target of choice.

This is largely due to the fact that the Android OS works on an open as opposed to closed model, letting developers and users customise it. Apple by comparison has a closed model, keeping development of its operating system in-house and checking and vetting all apps applying to be released onto the platform. This means that while it is far easier to develop and mould Android to suit bespoke tasks and functions, the iPad is a likely a better choice security-wise.

Business perks
Despite our questions regarding the ET1's software we did notice a number of perks for businesses on the ET1.

The most noticeable of these is the ET1's series of "expansion modules". These are add-on peripherals that plug into the ET1's USB 2.0 port. Motorola Solutions told us that there are already numerous expansion modules on offer, both from it and third party developers.

 

The one we saw was a dedicated laser scanner that plugged into the tablet's top, allowing it to scan and extract information from numerous objects. During our demo we were shown how the peripheral could extract and save a contact's name and information simply by scanning a business card.

Overall

From a business perspective, our opening impressions of the ET1 are positive. Motorola Solutions has built a robust tablet, complete with a surprisingly full portfolio of business-focused apps and add-ons.

Our two concerns regarding the ET1 are that it's only available on a channel price model and its use of the Android OS.

Being on a channel pricing plan, the cost of the ET1 is subject to a number of factors, including what industry the buyer is in and how many units they want to order. Because of this the ET1 may prove to be too expensive for a number of small to medium sized businesses.

Additionally, the use of Android may put off security-savvy IT managers and systems administrators, due to the ongoing security concerns over the OS.

The first BlackBerry 10 devices are not due until next year, but Research in Motion (RIM) has been showing off the latest build of the operating system, said to be close to the final release code, and V3 was on hand to take a look.

The handset itself is a Dev Alpha B device, which is different from the earlier Dev Alpha model RIM gave to developers at its BlackBerry World conference, but still not representative of the upcoming next-gen BlackBerry handsets, according to RIM.

The lock screen (above) shows a number of status indicators, such as new emails or BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) updates, as well as upcoming calendar alerts.

To unlock the handset, the user swipes up from the bottom of the screen, which gradually reveals the underlying home screen (below).

The BlackBerry 10 main display is based around Active Frames (below), which basically seem to be thumbnails of open applications, showing details such as the weather, a regularly visited web page, or BBM messages.

A key part of the BlackBerry 10 user experience is the Hub. This is a unified inbox  showing all content from email, BBM, text messages and social networks, in one place that can be reached with a simple pull-aside "peek" gesture (see below) from anywhere.

The Calendar (below left) is another key app, which is colour coded depending on whether an entry is private or work-related.

From meeting entries, the user can pull up information on other people who have been invited to attend (below right), drawn from sources such as LinkedIn.

The BlackBerry 10 soft keyboard (below) has been demonstrated by RIM before, but now looks much slicker. It still has the predictive text, with word predictions appearing on the keyboard as you type, allowing you to flick the correct one up to join the rest of the text.

Also looking slicker is BlackBerry App World (below), RIM's built-in application for browsing and downloading software from its online store.

One neat feature of BlackBerry 10 OS is that it is partitioned into separate work and personal environments, with the work environment (below left) controlled and provisioned with applications by the user's IT department.

Users can switch between the two by a downward swipe gesture on the icon grid, which brings up two buttons to press (below right).

Our impression of BlackBerry 10 OS from this brief demo is that it looks good and feels very responsive, and we can't wait to see the finished product running on whatever hardware RIM has in the pipeline.

Dell unveiled a handful of new business systems on Wednesday that will ship with Windows 8 when Microsoft's next-generation platform becomes available.

All three are based on the latest Intel processors, and include features designed to appeal to business buyers, such as extensions to Intel's vPro technology adding support for capabilities such as remote Bios updates and remote power management.

The Latitude 10 tablet (below) is a 10.1in slate-mode device running Intel's upcoming Clover Trail Atom chip.

Key specs:

10.1in (1,366x768) display with Corning Gorilla Glass, 2GB memory, up to 128GB SSD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband, 2-cell (30Whr) or four-cell (60Whr) removable battery, full-size USB 2.0 port, SD Card slot, mini-HDMI output, 725g weight.

The Latitude 6430u (below) is Dell's first business-focused ultrabook. It has a 14in display and processor options up to the 3.2GHz Core i7-3667U.

However, it does not have a touch-screen as standard, despite being designed for Windows 8 (Windows 7 will also be an option on this system).

Key specs:

Third generation Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, up to 8GB memory, up to 256GB SSD storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and optional mobile broadband, three-cell or six-cell removable battery options, 1.69kg weight.

Completing the trio is the Optiplex 9010 all-in-one desktop (below), which has a 23in display with optional touchscreen capability, and an articulating stand providing flexibility in the height and angle as to how the screen can be positioned.

This also features the latest Intel 3rd generation Core processors, plus a choice of the older 2nd generation chips, and provides access to the memory and hard disk for maintenance, Dell said.

Key specs:

Up to quad-core i7 chips, up to 16GB memory, hard drive options including 1TB hard drive or 128GB SSD, DVD-Rom, DVD-RW or Blu-Ray optical drives, 1 x half mini-PCIe expansion slot, gigabit Ethernet, optional Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

All three are due to be available when Windows 8 launches on 26 October.

HTC announced its latest Windows Phone handset on Wednesday, the HTC Windows Phone 8X.

V3 was lucky enough to get some hands-on time with the top-end HTC Windows Phone 8 smartphone ahead of its launch, and while we couldn't help but be won over by its vibrant design, we think it might struggle to rival Nokia's flagship Lumia 920 smartphone.

Design
According to HTC the design of the Windows Phone 8X is its main selling point, thanks to the way it "mimics" the look of the Windows Phone 8 operating system (OS) and ties in nicely with Microsoft's live tile interface.

We got our hands on the "blue" version of the Windows Phone 8X smartphone, which quite frankly isn't blue. Instead, it features a garish indigo plastic case, one that we can't see appealing to too many male Windows Phone fans. Still, there are three other colours to choose from - Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow.

That's not to say we didn't like it, as despite looking oddly similar to Nokia's Lumia line of smartphones, it's one of the most striking designs we've seen lately. It also feels like it could withstand a fair few tumbles, as its casing felt tough, despite weighing just 130g.

In terms of size, the handset's tapered edges make it feel a lot slimmer than it is, as it's actually quite a chunky device at 132.35x66.2x10.12mm.

Screen
On paper, the HTC Windows Phone 8X features a 4.3in HD 720p screen. Although not cranked up to full brightness, the display seemed impressively vibrant and boasted decent viewing angles during our hands-on time with the handset.

That's no doubt thanks to the screen's Super LCD 2 technology, which in previous reviews has proved just as vibrant as the Super Amoled technology found on the Samsung Galaxy S3. We're also pleased to hear that the screen comes coated with Corning Gorilla Glass, which means the display should prove resistant against drops and scratches.

Software
Unfortunately we weren't able to see the Windows Phone 8 operating system running on the HTC Windows 8X, with HTC telling us that the software isn't quite ready yet, adding weight to the rumours that Windows Phone 8 might be delayed until November.

However, we do know that Microsoft's Live Tile interface will match the colour of the handset's casing, which we thought was a nice touch.

HTC also admitted that it hasn't added many unique software tweaks to the Windows Phone 8X handset. The only app that HTC has preloaded is its HTC Hub application, where users can check out the weather, stock updates, apps and news. Not a major selling point, if you ask us.

However, HTC said it the Windows Phone 8X will come preloaded with Nokia Maps, which is excellent news for buyers of the handset and could harm sales of Nokia devices if its rivals already have its excellent mapping software.

Of course, that's not all Windows Phone 8 will bring to HTC's latest flagship smartphone. New Windows Phone 8 features also include resizable live tiles for a more customisable user interface (UI) and support for near-field communications (NFC) technology.

Performance
Thanks to Windows Phone 8 support for multi-core processors, the HTC Windows Phone 8X handset features Qualcomm's nippy dual-core S4 processor. Unfortunately we didn't get to put the handset's performance to the test during the short time we had with it.

However, we were disappointed to learn that the handset has no removable battery or expandable memory via microSD card though, unlike the cheaper HTC Windows Phone 8S smartphone.

This means that users will be stuck with the handset's 16GB of internal storage and won't be able to replace its battery once it starts to age and stutter.

Camera
HTC looks to be challenging Nokia with claims that the Windows Phone 8X camera is one of its main selling points. It does sound pretty impressive too, since it's an 8MP rear-facing camera with an f/2.0 lens, BSI sensor and the ability to capture HD 1080p video.

Although we were unable to give the handset's camera a thorough testing, we were able to fire it up using the dedicated camera key - and while not as fast as the snapper on the Motorola Razr I - it loaded up impressively fast.

There's also a front-facing camera on the front of the HTC Windows Phone 8X perfect for Skype video calling, a feature missing from the cheaper HTC Windows Phone 8S.

First impressions
While the design of the HTC Windows Phone 8X is flashy, we're not sure that the device itself has enough to capture the attention. Sure, it's more exciting than the Samsung Ativ S, but we don't think it can compete with the Nokia Lumia 920, which comes stuffed full of unique apps and innovative features such as its Pureview camera and wireless charging capability.

Check back later in the year for our full HTC Windows Phone 8X review, though, when the device is made available for our considered verdict.

HTC unveiled its affordable WP8 S Windows Phone at a press conference today, and V3 was there to get a first look.

Design and build
The WP8 S has a noticeably different design to its more expensive sibling the WP8 X, also announced today, featuring a different colour scheme and smaller size.

The WP8 S also features a two tone pattern. The device we got our hands on was predominantly black, with occasional touces of white, such as the detachable botom cover.

This cover grants access to the device's microSD and SIM card slots and gives it a significantly different look to the WP8 X, which looks somewhat like a cross between a Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC One X.

A further consequence of the removable panel is that the WP8 S feels less sturdy than the X, which features a unibody design.

The WP8 S is also significantly smaller than the X, packing a 4in screen rather than a 4.3in display. However, this also means that the WP8 S felt much lighter when held than the X.

Operating system and software
One key area we didn't get to see much of is the Windows Phone 8 operating system. HTC locked all the demo handsets to a select few screens, meaning we were unable to to check out all the key software features.

Windows Phone 8 itself is set for release in October and adds a host of new features and services to Microsoft's mobile offering,

The upgrades include resizable tiles, multi-core processor support and improved security. Unlike Nokia, which has loaded its next run of Lumias with a slew of custom apps and services, HTC appearts to have left Windows Phone 8 all but untouched on the WP8 S and X.

Instead HTC has pulled a similar trick as on its Android smartphones, loading the WP8 S with custom Beats audio technology. It's worth noting that while teh WP8 S model has Beats, it doesn't feature the upgraded amplifiers designed to improve the smartphone's audio quality that are built into the X.

Instead, the WP8 S features the basic software package, tailoring the sound to maximise listening quality. It also serves to improve sound quality when listening to audio files using Beats earphones.

Unfortunately HTC has confirmed the WP8 S will not be bundled with any Beats headphones, meaning users will have to buy their own pair if they want to make the most of the feature.

We're a little disappointed by this, as even a cheap pair of Beats earphones can set you back £40. Considering the handset's unconfirmed "mid range" price tag, investing in Beats earphones could add significantly to the smartphone's price.

Performance
The WP8 S is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor and features 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage that can be upgraded via its microSD slot.

We didn't get a chance to really test the WP8 S' performance due to the constraints put in place by HTC at the unveiling. However, running on Windows Phone 8 we're hoping the device will live up to Microsoft's performance claims.

Microsoft has claimed its mobile operating system has been designed to minimise the load that many basic functions place on the processor. This leaves handsets with more resources free for running user apps, and as a result, WP8 handsets should be able to match top-of-the-range Android ones on performance, according to Microsoft. The battery life should also get a boost.

Camera

The WP8 S features a stripped down 5MP rear-facing camera, boasting the same sensor and F2.0 lens seen on HTC's previous One series of Android smartphones.

Unfortunately, the WP8 S doesn't feature a front facing camera. HTC said it removed this feature in order to keep the cost down.

Worse, the WP8 S won't have anything to match the custom photo features seen on Nokia's Lumia series of Windows Phones.

Chief among these is Nokia's City Lens service, offering users an augmented reality display that gives dynamic information about users' surroundings, and which looks set to be a massive selling point differentiating Nokia's Lumias from HTC's new range.

Chances
Overall, our early impressions of the WP8 S are positive. While we didn't get the same wow factor we got playing with Nokia's new Lumias, HTC WP8 series do look and feel great and left us eager to get a chance to test them and their Windows Phone operating system more thoroughly.

Check back with V3 later for full reviews of the WP8 S and X.

Motorola's Razr I smartphone, which Motorola unveiled at an event in London on Tuesday, is the first handset ever to be powered by a 2GHz Intel Atom chip.

The firm claims that using an Intel processor means the Razr I outperforms its dual-core ARM-based rivals, and is 40 percent more powerful than the iPhone 4S.

Having got our hands on the Razr I, V3's initial tests indicate there may be some truth to Motorola and Intel's bold claims.

Design and build
The Razr I visually looks like a cross between a shrunken version of its original Razr smartphone and its "lifeproof" Defy series.

The handset has the same black round edges and corners and patterned back seen on older Razr models. These curves are offset by industrial looking screws that line its outer edges. The combination makes the Razr look fairly striking, noticeably different from the soft, curved designs seen on competitor handsets like the Galaxy S3.

Despite feeling like it's made of plastic, the Razr I features the same lifeproof kevlar coating as its predecessors. This means that as well as being scratch and drop proof, the Razr I is also splash proof, so it should survive the occasional spillage incident.

Within its chassis, the Razr I houses a 4.3in edge-to-edge display that boasts a 540x960 HD resolution based on Super Amoled technology.

Testing the screen, we were impressed how well it performed, with incredible brightness levels and viewing angles.

Processor
The Razr I is the first phone to hit the UK powered by a 2GHz Intel Atom chip. Intel claims that despite being a single-core design, the x86 architecture should outperform top end ARM-based competitors, including the dual-core A5 chip used in Apple's iPhone 4S.

In our preliminary tests, we ran the Razr I head to head with the iPhone 4S and HTC One S and found the results too close to call, with all three loading web pages pretty much instantly and streaming video seamlessly. We're looking forward to testing the device more thoroughly in a full review.

It's worth noting though that we did notice the occasional glitch when switching between screens on the Razr, where it would sometimes stall for a split second.

However, we're not sure if this is just a software glitch on our pre-release test unit or an actual problem with the Razr I's hardware.

Operating system and software
The Razr I will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, though an update to the newer Jelly Bean release has been promised in the near future. Motorola has also loaded the Razr I with its own custom user interface (UI).

While we're generally not fans of custom Android skins, feeling HTC's Sense and Samsung's Touchwiz make the UI too busy and difficult to navigate, we're quite taken with that of the Razr I.

Motorola has reduced the number of screens on the Razr I to three, with the option to add more. It's also added a settings page that can be quickly accessed simply by sweeping to the right on the screen. The addition makes doing things like adjusting your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings incredibly easy and is a nice alternative to the settings widgets seen on Sense and Touchwiz.

Camera
The Razr I packs an 8MP camera that can shoot 1080p HD video. The camera boasts in 6MP widescreen and 8MP regular shooting modes. Testing it, while we wouldn't say the image quality is on a par with images taken on the One X or Galaxy S3, we were still impressed.

Images taken on the Razr I came out crisp and boasted decent colour balance.

Battery and storage
The Razr I features a 2,000mAh battery Motorola claims will last around 20 hours of average to heavy usage. We haven't had a chance to test the battery, though having seen the Razr I's incredibly bright screen, we're a little sceptical.

In terms of storage, the Razr I comes with 8GB internal storage, though only 5GB of this is usable. Luckily, the storage can be upgraded up to 32GB using the Razr I's microSD card slot.

Prospects
The Razr I is set to be released in early October through Orange, T-Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Virgin Media and Phones 4u and will retail for around £350 SIM-free.

While we're not sure the Razr I will propel Motorola back to its former glory, our opening impressions of it are positive. The device is nippy, features a distinctive robust design and best of all, is moderately priced.

Thus far the only serious issue we've noticed on the Razr I is the occasional stall when switching between screens.

Check back with V3 soon for a full review of the Motorola Razr I.